ECO:nomics: Bipartisan Approach to Climate Change

3/22/2013 2:41AM

Thomas Steyer, co-founding director of the Center for the Next Generation, says he believes American capitalism can be the answer to the environmental crisis as long as Republicans are willing to accept the scientific facts.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... it likely ... rates and rates the ... shelves the ... unit ... people see is wrong with governance I stood up and spices and eighty R and D ... mistake and so many words ... that the government got into the commercial business ... personally I would repeal ... the loan guarantee program ... it's too much of a temptation ... what could be given to the point ... where it's demonstrated ... that something is doable and scalable ... and then leave it to the marketplace to Petco ... he told me know I'd like to make a point about why I think ... George and I have had so much fun together and have had ... so little disagreement ... and ... you're asking a question about what are the things that have to happen ... so the Republicans and Democrats can basically get together on this issue ... one thing is definitely true about Secretary Shultz is he is willing to look at the scientific facts ... open ... and one thing that is true about me as I am a capitalist who believes that the solution to this problem will be American business ... and so in fact ... if you ... if you just accept those two things ... I think that there's a word you know that I don't think the policies here ... George Allen and pretty quickly the Vizard this is not that complicated the policy thing ... sure we you know people could worry about it in one again are right ... that that is not the issue here ... the issue here for my point of view ... is simply your right Republicans are very worried ... that what this is isn't opening new edge ... to some huge new government program for people who don't really trust American business ... and Democrats are very worried ... that that the Republicans wall except ... the underlying and kind of overwhelming scientific evidence ... but in fact ... the reason he did there is a very bipartisan approach here that doesn't involve ... some think those are basic American Kenneth Suisse's ... look the ... problem in the face and deal with it ... and ... we are very good at getting things done and what you if you on leash American business ... that's what these people are all about is solving problems and if you look at what happened when after the Montreal Protocol if you look at what happened after the cap and trade system ... for ... that ... president Bush within ... it was all faster cheaper ... than anybody expected ... the rift The returns in terms of cost and benefit are in a forty times to seventy times ... American business will shop all of the people in this room and all the people in the world with how fast ... and how well they sold this problem ... if we give them the right incentives and allow them to go after ... and they may find the whole way to get in there ... that they will do an